Lipton Turns 125!

What was once a rare luxury took a revolutionary turn in 1890 when Lipton® (www.LiptonTea.com) made tea available to everyone. Now, 125 years later, billions of Lipton drinks are consumed each year in more than 150 countries, which translates to millions of Lipton drinks being consumed per day.

"Sir Thomas Lipton was a true pioneer when he began selling affordable, high-quality tea in 1890, which ultimately grew Lipton into a trusted household name across the globe," said Alfie Vivian, Vice President Refreshment and Foods at Unilever U.S. "We continue to embrace this spirit of ingenuity and commitment to quality as we reach this iconic milestone, and we look forward to celebrating our heritage with exciting partnerships that'll kick off the next 125 years."

Lipton is celebrating its 125th anniversary milestone with a number of activities that pay homage to the brand's rich past while introducing innovations that shape the future of tea. From new products, like the recent introduction of Lipton Sparkling Iced Tea, to consumer sampling activations, the brand continues to invest in quality to refresh and enhance the way tea lovers experience Lipton products.

Last year, Lipton introduced a secure box that is sturdier and easier to store with "Stay Fresh" packs that help preserve the natural aroma and taste of the tea bags. Coupled with the bright new look, the brand is using thousands of fewer trees and reducing millions of gallons of water in the paper making process. Lipton is also innovating with its anniversary in mind and will introduce a special 125-count bonus pack, which offers 25 extra tea bags of America's favorite classic blend later this month.

Be More Tea Festival Brings Brand Philosophy to LifeLipton will celebrate its iconic anniversary all year, building up to the first Be More Tea Festival on Oct. 24, 2015, at the Riverfront Park at Naval Yard in North Charleston, South Carolina. This festival will feature live music, food, games, attractions – and, of course, tea -- that will inspire people to live life the tea way.

The festival will invite fans to experience a tea wonderland that celebrates the brand's past, present and future and will feature live music from today's most popular artists including Passion Pit, The Roots, Walk the Moon and St. Lucia.

The one-day event hopes to inspire attendees to Be More Tea, the brand's philosophy that encourages people to take time to engage with others and enjoy the world around them. With Lipton tea, people can unlock experiences, creativity and inspiration, whether it's playtime, mealtime, travel time or any time in between.

"The epic Be More Tea Festival will help bring fans together for an exceptional celebration with music, food, fun and a few surprises – everything a festival should be about," said Melanie Watts, Director of Marketing at Pepsi Lipton Partnership. "The festival will bring to life exactly what it means to Be More Tea, and we can't wait for our fans to celebrate our 125th anniversary right along with us."

Celebrating 125 Days of Be More Tea Lipton also welcomes tea drinkers to share their Be More Tea moments this summer. In honor of its anniversary, for 125 days from May 18 to Sept. 19, Lipton will host the Be More Tea Sweepstakes and will award 125 tea drinkers and guests with trips to attend the Be More Tea Festival. For information about how to enter the Be More Tea Sweepstakes, visit www.BeMoreTeaFestival.com.

Fans who follow Lipton are invited to post a photo, video or GIF of any Lipton product or logo and tag @Lipton and #BeMoreTeaSweeps on Twitter and Instagram.

Alternatively, consumers can enter the sweepstakes via an online form at www.BeMoreTeaFestival.com and sharing their name, phone number, email and date of birth. Consumers can also send these details and their favorite Lipton product via email to BeMoreTeaSweeps@trackmarketing.net to enter to win.

Each day from May 18 to Sept. 19, one winner will be randomly selected.

Consumers are eligible to submit one entry per day, per individual account, per social network.

The headlines about the health benefits of coffee seem to change as quickly as the time it takes to drink a cup. Is coffee good for you? Here's what the folks at Consumer Reports want you to know:

1. It may help you live longer.

True, coffee drinkers are more likely than nondrinkers to smoke, eat red meat, skimp on exercise, and have other life-shortening habits, according to a 2012 study in the New England Journal of Medicine. But when researchers took those factors into account, they found that people ages 50 to 71 who drank at least one cup of coffee per day lowered their risk of dying from diabetes, heart disease, or other health problems when followed for more than a decade. That may be due to beneficial compounds such as antioxidants—which might ward off disease—and not caffeine. Decaf drinkers had the same results.

2. It may perk you up.

Coffee is not just a pick-me-up; it also has been linked to a lower risk of depression. In a study led by the Harvard School of Public Health that tracked 50,000 women for 10 years, those who drank four or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day were 20 percent less likely to develop depression than nondrinkers.
Another study found that adults who drank two to four cups of caffeinated cof­fee were about half as likely to attempt suicide as decaf drinkers or abstainers. The researchers speculated that long-term coffee drinking may boost the production of “feel good” hormones such as dopamine.

3. It contains many good-for-you chemicals.

For most Americans who drink coffee, it provides more antioxidants than any other food, according to Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton. But it’s also a top source of acrylamide, a chemical whose link to can­cer is being investigated.

4. It may cut your risk for type 2 diabetes.

A recent Harvard-led study of more than 120,000 men and women found that those who increased the amount of caffeinated coffee they drank per day by more than one 8-ounce cup, on average, were 11 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those whose coffee habits stayed the same. And those who decreased their daily intake by at least a cup per day, on average, were 17 percent more likely to develop the disease.
But nix the doughnut with your morning cup; excess sugar might cancel out any benefit you might get from a balanced blood sugar level. And watch how much sugar and cream you add to your java—overdo it and you have a calorie- and fat-packed beverage.

5. Most people don't have to worry about the caffeine.

Data suggest that most healthy adults can safely consume, daily, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine—the amount in around two to four cups of brewed coffee. (Exact amounts vary a lot, though.) Pregnant women should keep it to less than 200 milligrams; kids, no more than 45 to 85 milligrams. More than that can cause side effects including insomnia, irritability, and restlessness. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, heart, and muscles.

Consumer Reports also recommends that if you have an anxiety disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, or heart disease, or if you take certain medications, watch your consumption or opt for decaf. And if you have acid reflux, you might want to skip coffee altogether because the acidity could exacerbate it. www.ConsumerReports.org

CRAFTEA™: The Ultimate Tea Maker™ Wins Big
at World Tea Expo

CRAFTEA™: The Ultimate Tea Maker™ takes home Best New Product (Tea Ware) Award from this year’s World Tea Expo when they showcased their revolutionary new device--the world’s first tea and chai maker for home and personal use.

Using proprietary vortex technology, CRAFTEA™ simplifies the chai making process and prevents messy boil-overs, allowing the user to create gourmet beverages in a matter of minutes, extracting maximum flavors from ingredients.

CRAFTEA™ is the result of over three years of research, development and engineering by co-founders Pratima and Jitu Keshav. “Our vision was to make a revolutionary appliance that brings convenience, consistency and customization to a time honored beverage,” Jitu explains. “We believe in the traditional rituals of serving tea and chai — with each individual having their own special twist.”

CRAFTEA™ brews up your favorite tea or chai in minutes. It’s simple, user friendly, step by step process allows you to customize tea beverages to your taste using fresh herbs and spices, and saves your brew settings to ensure a consistent beverage time and time again.

Key features of the CRAFTEA™: The Ultimate Tea Maker™:
• Proprietary vortex technology paired with state of the art induction technology speeds up flavor extraction
• Patented boil-over controls make cleanups a thing of the past. No attention needed — just add your favorite ingredients and CRAFTEA™ does the rest
• One to four cup capacity and pre-programmed settings for various tea types opens up endless possibilities for creating fresh, gourmet beverages, tea lattes, herbal infusions, tea cocktails, and more.

With dishwasher safe, non-breakable materials, powerful technology to make brewing hassle-free, and an endless menu of flavor combinations, CRAFTEA™ is the ultimate tool for anyone who wants to enjoy and share fresh healthy quality beverages. MSRP $199. www.CRAFTEA.com

BBQ and Beans
Grillin' with Coffee!

Perk up your poultry! Wake up your steak! Coffee can be a great addition to many recipes. As a dry rub, marinade, or brine, coffee can play a big part in summertime entertaining—especially when it comes to grilling.

In addition to being a “get me going in the morning” necessity, coffee can enhance the flavor of meats and many chefs use it year-round to take tried and true recipes to the next level.

Summertime is the perfect time to incorporate coffee and coffee blends into your cooking. Not only does coffee enhance the flavor of your meat by offering a subtle flavor, it also helps caramelize the outside creating great color and texture.

Pre-packaged rubs are available at many gourmet stores nationwide, but why not try experimenting to create your own using your favorite ingredients? Any freshly ground coffee beans will work just fine, many recommend a dark roast for the biggest coffee flavor, and strong meats and a lighter roast if you're looking for something a little more subtle.

Steeped
Recipes Infused with Tea
by Annalies Zijderveld

“A loving tribute to tea and its enjoyment beyond just the cup. Lots of beautiful photos and easy-to-follow recipes make this a must-have for tea lovers.” –Coffee And Tea Newsletter

Get your oolong on! From morning eats to evening sweets, Steeped infuses your day with the flavors and fragrances of tea.

"Steeped is smart, inventive, and most of all, inspiring.. Annelies has got me daydreaming about the possibilities of tea, from Sweet Tea Jelly on toast to California Tea Leaf Salad and Arnold Palmer Poppy Seed Muffins. This beautiful book deserves a spot next to your teacup." - Molly Wizenberg, author of A Homemade Life and Delancey

This beautiful book will inspire you to pull out your favorite teas, fire up the stove, and get steeping!

Annelies Zijderveld is a food writer and creator of the literary food blog, the food poet, selected by Alimentum Journal as one of their favorite food blogs. Her passion for working with good food companies started during her 8 years heading up marketing at Mighty Leaf Tea. She is the digital media section newsletter editor for IACP. She holds an MFA in poetry from New England College and is an associate editor of Poetry International. Her work has been published in Curator, Arthouse America, Darling Magazine, and Sated. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and sourdough pet Salvatore.

ENTER TO WIN: Visit the Coffee and Tea Facebook page to enter. Click here. No purchase necessary. Contest ends July 10, 2015. Winner will be randomly selected and will be announced on Facebook. Thanks to Coffee and Tea Festival & Andrews McMeel Publishing for sponsoring this fun contest. https://www.facebook.com/Coffeeandteafestival

Founded in 2001, TerraCycle, Inc., is the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, ranging from used chip bags to coffee capsules to cigarette butts. The waste is collected through free, national, brand-funded platforms called "Brigades," as well as various consumer and government-funded models. The collected waste is reused, upcycled or recycled into a variety of affordable, sustainable consumer products and industrial applications. Each year, across 21 countries, TerraCycle collects and repurposes billions of pieces of waste, donating millions of dollars to schools and charities in the process.

CoffeeForLess, the Internet coffee shop of Coffee Serv Inc., is offering customers a way to recycle their used single serve coffee and tea capsules instead of sending them to the landfill. The website sells TerraCycle’s® Coffee Capsule Zero Waste Box™ which means purchasers fill the box with used coffee or tea capsules and use the pre-affixed postage-paid label to return the box to TerraCycle where the capsules will be recycled.

Details on the box can be found at http://www.coffeeforless.com/terracycle-zero-waste-box.html. The Small Coffee Capsule Zero Waste Box retails for $70 and shipping and processing of the used capsules is included in the retail price. Once a box is filled, individuals can ship it to TerraCycle for processing. TerraCycle separates the received waste into metals, organics and plastics. Metals are smelted and recycled, organics (such as the coffee grounds) are composted and the plastics undergo extrusion and pelletization to be molded into new recycled plastic products.

Since 2007, TerraCycle has used innovative processes to recycle consumer packaging waste that would otherwise be destined for landfills. By partnering with major companies to collect their waste from consumers, TerraCycle is able to offer recycling programs for certain waste streams. Now through Zero Waste Boxes, there are almost no limits to what can be recycled.